this post was submitted on 20 Mar 2026
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Autism
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Depends on your country, I guess. If your country has additional benefits, rights or support to offer then you need an official diagnosis to access them. That's the case over here in Sweden. If you're American though then sure, I assume that part of healthcare and social security is completely absent.
Ultimately though yes, much like the definitions for personality disorders, the dividing line is generally whether it negatively impacts your day to day functioning. If you don't feel any negative impacts on your life as a result of how you are then you don't "need" a diagnosis.
It could still help you understand yourself better though.
This. Some countries (like Australia) do provide additional support services or allow you to access accommodations through your employer if you have a diagnosis.
Not sure if it's wise in the US at the moment, though.
You assume wrong. An Autism or ADHD diagnosis would make you subject to the rights inherent in the ADA. Meaning that you have a known disability and may be eligible for things like Medicare, or Medicaid, and SSI depending on your situation.
Additionally you are guaranteed certain accomodations in work or school by federal law.
America sucks healthcare wise and our system is definitely not remotely perfect when it comes to disabled people, but I really don't like it when people just assume and put out bad information based on that assumption.
My bad, and I am happy to hear there is at least something even in the US. I have seen so many US posters on here express mostly negative sentiment towards the idea of a diagnosis that I assumed there were basically no benefits. I'm glad to learn that was wrong.
I think that we have a negative view of diagnosis because it's been difficult to get for a lot of us, especially women and adults, and because of the current political regime and the likelihood of a diagnosis being used against us.
For Autism specifically, besides maybe therapy there's not a lot of safety net style support for adults (there's loads of programs for children though), and that further stimatizes things in the community.
Well then I guess I was only half wrong. Over here there are safety net type benefits, special accommodations and resources etc you have a right to even as an adult if you have a diagnosis.
It's not that safety nets don't exist for some. They just aren't widely available. I'll give you an example. My father is a Vietnam Vet. specifically a 100% disability Vietnam Vet who has a rating for being exposed to Agent Orange. Because my youngest brother has more severe autism and was diagnosed as a child and is diagnosed as having a more severe disability that makes him "helpless" in the eyes of the law, he qualifies for VA benefits through my father meaning that even when my father dies he will receive those benefits. That support system is not available to me even though I was diagnosed with ADHD as a kid (and autism as an adult). This is specifically because my "disabilities" aren't considered to be debilitating and weren't considered such since I was a child.
The system set up is just a hodge podge but it's not non-existent.